1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable type electronic card reading device which is used to read the data stored in an electronic card such as an IC card, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An IC card incorporates a microcomputer and an IC memory for the increased memory capacity and the data stored therein can be read by a reading device. An IC card which enables both reading and writing of data with the use of a read/write memory has also been developed. As an IC card is handy to carry, a portable IC card reading device has been developed recently so that the data stored in the card can be read at any time and place.
FIG. 7 shows an example of such a portable type IC card reading device. This IC card reading device comprises a box-shaped hard case 81 made of a hard material such as a hard plastic which is slightly larger than an IC card. In the hard case 81, various kinds of electronic components such as a power source, an integrated circuit, card contacts, etc., are housed. On one side face of the hard case 81, a card insertion opening 82 is formed, through which an IC card can be inserted. The IC card which is inserted into the hard case 81 through the card insertion opening 82 is electrically brought into contact with the card contacts in the hard case 81, so that the data in the IC card is read.
A key operational section 83 comprising a plurality of input keys and a display portion 84 are disposed on the upper surface of the hard case 81. The operation of the keys enables data to be written in the IC card which is inserted in the hard case 81, and the data stored therein is displayed on the display portion 84.
As shown in FIG. 8, another reading device having a hard case 91 made of a hard material such as hard plastic, which can be folded in two just like a book. In this reading device, an IC card is placed between the two half portions of the foldable hard case 91. On the upper surface of the hard case 91, a key operational section 93 comprising a plurality of input keys and a display portion 94 are disposed.
These IC card reading devices mentioned above are portable as the hard cases 81 and 91 thereof are only slightly larger than an IC card. However, they are still too large for a person to carry in a breast pocket, etc. Furthermore, since the hard cases 81 and 91 are made of a hard material such as a hard plastic, etc., uncomfortableness may be felt when the hard case 81 or 91 is brought into contact with the skin under a breast pocket. In order to reduce a sense of this uncomfortableness, it has been suggested that, as shown in FIG. 7, a reading device is housed by a pair of bands 86 onto a foldable soft cover 85 made of plasticized vinyl chloride so that the hard case 81 thereof can be completely covered by the soft cover 85. When the reading device is put in a breast pocket with the whole hard case 81 covered with the soft cover 85, a sense of uncomfortableness due to the material of the hard case 81 can be reduced. However, in this case, the total volume of the hard case 81 may be increased by the volume of the soft cover 85, thereby decreasing the portability of the reading device.
As an ordinary person usually carries a credit card, a driver's license, cash, etc., with him, he would not take the trouble to carry such an IC card reading device of relatively large size in addition to these many personal belongings, unless it is inevitable to do so.
For this reason, it is considered necessary to develop a small-sized IC card reading device. However, a small-sized IC card reading device means that a battery which is a power source must be also small sized, resulting in a problem that the electric capacity is accordingly decreased and the battery life is shortened. Moreover, as mentioned above, since a battery is housed in the hard case 81 or 91, it is not easy to replace.